Calf-weaner



(No Model.)

M. H. HIGKE Y & W. RQRBMME. GALF- WEANBR.

No. 367,629. Patented Aug. 2, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL H. HICKEY AND XVILLTAM It. REMME, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CALF-WEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming art of Letters Patent No. 367,629, dated August 2, 1887.

Application filed March 12, 1887.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, MIcIIAEL I-I. HIOKEY and WILLIAM R. REMME, both of Chicago, in. the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Calf-\Vean'ers, of whiehthe following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure I is a perspective view of our calfweaning device shown in the position it maintains while the calf is endeavoring to suck; and Fig. II is a side elevation, showing lhedevice secured to a calfs head, and the pivoted barbed shield elevated by its contact with the ground to enable the calf to graze.

Our invention relates to a device to prevent calves from sucking cows when running with them during the time of weaning; and the invention consists in features of novelty, hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims, referencebeing had to the accompanyin g drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate like parts in both the views.

1 represents the nose-strap, 2 the throatstrap, 3 the metallic cheek-straps, and 4. the neck-strap, of the halter that carries our weaning half-muzzle. These straps, with the exception of the cheekstraps, are preferably of leather, and the cheek-straps are preferably of brass, but may be of any othersuitable metal. The nose and throat strap may be made integral and adjusted to the size of the ealPs head and fastened by the buckle5. A loop, 6, of brass or other metal, is provided for the at tachment of a halter or tiestrap when needed, and is secured within the loop made by the return-bend of one end of the throat-strap, the said loop also holding the buckle that secures the combined nose and throat strap. Onemetallic cheekstrap is secured to the fast end of the neck-strap by rivets 7 and the other one by similar rivets, S, to a short loop-strap, 9, whose riveted loop 10 carries the mainbuekle 11, in which the loose end of the neck-strap engages when the halter is fastened on the head of the calf. The front ends of the metallic cheek-straps are riveted at 12 to slotted angle-plates 13 13, the rivets also passing through and being secured to the combined nose and throat strap.

Serial No. 230,667. (No modal.)

Metallic barbed bars 14 are secured by pivot-pins 15 to the cheek straps and work pivotally on said pin. bars pass through and work in elongated slots 16 in the angle-plates. The said bars are bent out rectangularly at each end and pointed, making barbs 17 17, the rear ones of which point out from near the pivotpins thatattach said bars to the cheekstraps, and the forward ones pass through slots 18 in ahalfhemisphere or concave perforated plate 19. This concave plate covers the nose of the calf when it attempts to suck, and besides the bars already These straps or flat described it is provided with twin barbs 2O 20, bent forward from a strap, 21, that is riveted to the front of the concave plate. Perforations 22 in the concave plate allow free passage for the air through the plate to enable the calf to breathe without difficulty. These perforations are shown of a diamond shape; but we do not confine ourselves to that shape, as they may be made'star shape, or in any other suitable form that will not allow the entrance and consequent entanglement of brush orlimbs to endanger the breakage and detachment of the muzzle.

One great difficulty that has been experienced in open-weaning muzzlcs made with wire or other open metallic frames is that brush or limbs of trees or other objects in the pasture or woods where the calf and its mother are running, frequently catch and become entangled in the open frame.

One intention of our invention is to overcome this difficulty by providing, instead of the open frame, a perforated concave plate in the form of a half-hemisphere. The perforations through this plate provide abundant entrance for the air that the calf breathes, but will not allow the entrance of any object that could entangle with the muzzle and damage it or its wearer or tear it from the calf s head.

It will also be seen that we provide barbs back of the pivotal connection of the muzzle, as well as those in front on the concave plate, and thus make it far more difficult for the calf and its 'mother to evade the restriction that the weaningmuzzleis intended to force. Also, the barbs and concave plate are so formed (see Fig. II) that they do not interfere with obstructions on the ground as the calf grazes;

and in that connection also the smooth con ICC cave plate will readily lift with the bars, to which it is attached on the pivot-pins, by which they are secured to the cheek-strapainstead of, as is frequently experienced, with openframe muzzles catching in the obstructions, thus preventing the grazing of the calf and sometimes injuring or destroying the muzzle. The said pivoted bars,also working in the elongated slots of the angle-plates on the front ends of the cheek-straps, have free movement therein, while at the same time they are strongly braced from any adverse lateral movement. Not only is this concave metallic plate muzzle much easier on the calf that wears it than any wire or bar frame muzzle could be, and, for reasons given, less liable to injury, but also it is not as injurious to the cow as the open frame withvits cross-bars, that frequently injure the cows udder and teats. Also, the flat barbs, while their points are sufficiently suggestive to the cow to induce her to discard the calf s endeavors to suck, and, being stiffer, are in some ways more effectual, yet they do not puncture, tear, and injure the animal as severely as the wire barb.

Another valuable feature in the invention is its metallic checkstrap with its slotted metallic angle or guide plate, in which the pivoted at taehmentbars of the muzzle work. These metallic cheek-straps are curved to the shape of the calf s cheeks, and the elongated slots in their guide-platcs insure steady vertical action to the pivoted bars that carry the muzzle and engage in said slots. \Vhile their pivotal action in the right direction is more free than it could otherwise be without the influence of the slotted angle-plate that guides them, they are at the same time steadied thereby and guarded from all lateral movement to which they might have a tendency given them from any obstructions against which the muzzle may come in contact.

The muzzle 1.) has been described as a' perforated plate. It may, if preferred, be made of wire work.

Ne claim as our invention- 1. The combination of a barbed muzzle, stiff bars by which it is pivoted to the cheek pieces of a halter, and angle-plates 13, hav ing slots 16, through which said bars pass and limit the oscillation of the muzzle, as set forth.

2. The combination, in a calf-weaner, of the concave sheet-metal muzzle, metallic bars extending therefrom and pivoted to the cheekstraps of the headstall or halter, and angleplates 13, having slots 16, in which said bars play and which limit the movements of the bars on their pivots with the sheet-metal 1nuzzle that they carry, as set forth.

3. The combination of the metal cheekstraps 3, the guide-plates 13, attached thereto, having elongated slots, the bars 14, pivoted to the cheek-straps and having movement within the elongated slots in the guideplates, and the muzzle carried thereby, said bars 14 having flat pointed barbs that are rectangularly bent from their ends, the front ones of which pass through slots in the muzzle-plates that the bars carry, and flat twin barbs that with their eonnectingstrap are riveted to the front of the muzzle-plate, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, in a calfqveaner, of the perforated sheet-metal muzzle provided with barbs, metal cheek-straps, pivoted bars connecting said muzzle with the cheek straps, and slotted plates attached to said cheek-straps, through the slots of which the pivoted bars work, the whole being secured to the halterstraps that fasten it to the head of the animal, substantially as set forth.

MICHAEL H. HICKEY. \VILLIAM R. REMME. In presence of-- J NO. BARNET, FRED. XV; BROWN. 

